The Truth Comes Out
by iMisa
Summary: Jane/Deb finally has the courage to tell Grayson who she really is. But will he believe her?  Grayson POV . GraysonXJane/Deb
1. Chapter 1

The sky was a mixed hue of colours as the sun faded behind the tall buildings that surrounded the law firm. Grayson stared listlessly out the window, eyes focused on nothing in particular yet simultaneously taking in the radiance as night fell. This was a habit he had adopted since coming to work for Parker. He liked putting in long hours, although sometimes it wasn't simply because a case was perplexing or needed additional research. The thought of returning to an empty house made his stomach churn. Especially when even now, everything reminded him of her.

His boss appreciated the long hours, as well as his pro-bono work which he was more than happy to do. He wanted for nothing on his salary, and what he did want, well... he could never have. No amount of money in the world could bring Deb back to him, and although it was a fact he knew well, it didn't keep him from wishing.

"You're still here? Everyone else has gone home."

Startled out of his thoughts, Grayson turned to find Jane standing in his doorway. His heart gave an odd pull as he took in the sight of her, and he couldn't understand the warmth that consumed him when he did. He smiled, and slipped his hands into his pockets. With a gentle shrug, he glanced along the papers strewn across his desk, and chuckled softly. Scratching his temple, he replied,

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Working on a case?" Jane hedged, stepping into the office. Grayson looked up, and his eyes slid over her face. Her expression was hesitant, but her eyebrows were lifted, as if she were genuinely interested in his answer. Shoulders relaxing, Grayson cast another look out the window; the sun had set now, and the stars, few of them as they were in the city, had began to surface. They glittered in the twilight, and he watched another moment before turning to answer her.

"No, actually," he began, once again surprised by how comfortable he felt around her, "Just...lingering, I guess."

Jane nodded in understanding.

"Well, I just finished writing my closing for a really important case tomorrow," she began, a smile slipping on to her glossy lips, "and I'm pretty sure the cat's in the bag on this one. Do you have anything you need to get done around here?" she questioned, her own eyes falling to the mess on his desk.

"Well that's always good to hear, Jane," Grayson smiled, her enthusiasm always easy to catch. At her question, he made a haphazard attempt to straighten the paperwork, before giving up and stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

"No, all of my work is done. Kim is first chair for our case, and I've got everything organized for the court date tomorrow. It's getting late, isn't it? I should probably be heading home..."

He didn't know why he let his words fall, almost as if he were hoping she would stop him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could bare to go back to an empty, Deb-less house.

"Well, I was just on my way to grab some food," Jane began quickly, motioning to the door. He lifted his gaze from the desk, eyebrows raised in surprise; surprise, and something else. Hope? He flushed, and avoided meeting her gaze, instead settling his eyes onto the glass door frame behind her head. What was he expecting from her? What was he hoping for?

"Since you're planning on heading home too, if you don't have anything else to do..."

Grayson lowered his gaze now, eyes fixing onto Jane's. She offered him a shy, almost hesitant smile, and he realized what she was implying.

"Sure!" he responded with a little too much enthusiasm. He gave her a smile, which he hoped hid the sudden awkwardness he felt as he grabbed his jacket and brief case. "Anywhere in specific?"

Jane beamed at his response, before brushing her hair to one side—a habit he noted, Deb often did as well. "I was thinking Chinese?" she began, as he came round the side of his desk and followed her out the door. They made their way back to her office, and she continued as she slid into her own jacket and retrieved her purse from her chair. "It's really cheap, but so good," she gushed. "I used to go there all the time before, and they have this peanut sauce that I just _love—_"

"Peanut sauce?" Grayson asked, and his step faltered as Jane preceded him to the elevator. Jane stopped as well, her posture a little stiff, before she turned around. She gave him another one of her famous big smiles, and waved her hands dismissively. "Oh yeah," she began, "it's really good! It goes with pretty much anything on the menu." A slight pause. "Is...something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Grayson began, shaking his head. He ran his fingers through his hair, before letting out a shaky breath. He looked at her, standing there, a worried, apprehensive expression on her pretty features. Pretty? Where did that come from? Blinking once, twice, the image of Deb swam in his mind.

"You'll probably think this is dumb," he admitted, with an embarrassed smile, "it's just that Deb really liked peanut sauce, too, when she had Chinese."

He watched her face then, and her expression changed. It went from worried to...something he couldn't quite place. But once again, there it was. That look in her eyes, the one that made his heart flutter. He _knew_ that look.

"W-well, it's good so I wouldn't blame her," she stuttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She pressed the button for the elevator a few times, before giving him a softer smile. "Did you want to go somewhere else to eat instead?"

"No, Chinese would be nice," he said, with a firm nod. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Jane asked hesitantly. Grayson was unable to stop himself. Closing the distance between them, he lifted a hand and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face. He looked at her then, hard. Their features were so different. Pretty, in their own ways, which was strange; he'd never thought of Jane in that perspective before, but now that he had, he couldn't seem to stop. Because of her size, she was often overlooked by most men, and women—women like Kim—never even gave her a second glance. Her smile was amazing, her laugh infectious, and her eyes sparkled in a similar fashion that Deb's had. So full of life. And her personality, almost the same. Granted Jane's IQ was a little higher on the scale than Deb's, but that hadn't kept him from loving her any less.

"I'm sorry," he began, catching himself. Pulling his hand back, he looked away, towards the elevator doors. "It's just, I can't help but be reminded of Deb every time I see you. You're so much alike."

"Grayson," Jane began after a moment of quiet. Grayson forced himself to meet her eyes, and when he did, it confused him. There was a mixture of unimaginable pain written along her face, and a longing he didn't understand. "Grayson, there's something I have to tell you."

Frowning, Grayson tilted his head.

"What?"

Jane parted her lips to speak, but just as she was about to, a loud buzzer went off, and the elevator doors opened. They both jumped, before sheepishly glancing at one another. A long pause, before she shook her head. "Why don't we grab something to eat first?"

Nodding, intrigued now, Grayson stepped into the elevator behind her. The ride down to the main floor was quiet, and his mind ran through a few possible scenarios. Had he done something wrong? Granted, what he'd done a few moments ago had been a little inappropriate, but what could she possibly have to say to him with that look on her face?

Jane offered to drive him, and he agreed, for the restaurant was only a few short blocks away. They made small talk in the car, but as he watched her, he knew she was definitely nervous.

As they were seated, Jane glanced around. The waiter brought them their drinks, and Grayson waited, if not impatiently for her to tell him what she had to say.

"What did you want to tell me?" he finally asked, when it grew apparent she was losing her nerve. Jane fidgeted and stared at her water, before clearing her throat. Brushing her hair behind her shoulder, she slowly lifted her gaze, and Grayson found himself leaning forward in anticipation.

"I don't really know how to start," Jane began awkwardly. Suddenly, she took his hands, and pulled them towards the middle of the table. Surprised, he looked at her small, stout fingers as they clung to his. He didn't pull them away. "Grayson, you know how you say I remind you so much of Deb?"

Grayson nodded, lifting his gaze back to hers.

"She didn't die that day," Jane said quietly. Grayson froze, the only expression he could muster, a frown. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's a lot to explain, and I will explain," she continued quickly, the expression returning in her eyes.

"Grayson, it's me."

He stared at her for a long moment, searching her eyes. Part of him wanted to yank his hands away, yell at her. Was this some sick joke? Toying with his feelings? Who could do that to someone else? Or was she making him feel guilty, for even considering the idea of falling for another woman so soon? Yet the other part was fixated on her eyes. There was a mixture of desperation there, desperation and love. Begging him to believe her. It didn't feel like she was playing a joke, and you couldn't fake that sort of expression. And, as he sat there frozen, realization crept upon him like a shadow.

He didn't know how to explain it. How could _she_ explain it?

His heart jack hammered within his chest.

This was ridiculous. Why would he even _entertain_ the idea?

But despite the logical side of him that was screaming, everything suddenly made sense.

The little things, like the flip of her hair. The peanut sauce.

The small things she would notice about him, that she had no other way of knowing, like how he folded origami when he was stressed. Why every time he looked at Jane, he felt at peace.

He forced himself to blink, and his eyes re-focused on Jane.

Another long moment stretched into two, and brow furrowing, he found what he was looking for in her eyes.

"Deb?"


	2. Chapter 2

They sat in the restaraunt, and Jane—no, Deb,—continued to cling to his hands, almost as if she were afraid he would let go. Under any other sort of circumstance, and had it been anyone else, surely they would have fled, screaming or raving about her sudden admittance. By all means, it was definitely impossible. But here they were...here _she_ was, sitting right across from him. Now that Grayson had come to realize what was going on, as he stared at Jane, all he could see was Deb. His heart ached suddenly, and he returned her firm grip with one of his own. He could feel the sting behind his eyes as tears threatened to fall over his lids, and parting his lips to speak, found no words to express himself.

Jane bit her lower lip—another habit Deb had done, when nervous—and the tears surfaced in her eyes, as well. Glistening, beautifully, before they fell down her rosy cheeks. She sniffed, before reluctantly pulling a hand away to dab at her eyes. She glanced around the restrauant , and lowering her voice as if she were afraid someone might hear, whispered, "I've wanted to tell you for so, long Grayson," she began, "but there have been so many reasons why I couldn't."

"How long?" he asked shakily, squeezing her hands. With the acceptance that what she had told him was the truth, a sudden excitement was building in his gut. He wanted to jump up from his chair, and yell, cry out, in happiness. The emptiness he had felt with Deb's death was gone, and although she sat before him in a different form, he _knew _deep within his very soul, that this was the woman he had loved. The woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Since the day that I..." Jane trailed off, "since the car accident," she finished with some trouble.  
"There have been so many times when I wanted to tell you the truth, Grayson," she continued quickly, desperately, as the information sank in. "But there was never really an opportunity, and Fred was always around..."

"Fred?" Grayson questioned, "you don't mean the mail delivery guy, who works at the firm?"

"Gaurdian Angel," Jane corrected sheepishly.

"So all this time," Grayson began, in dawning terror. "With Kim...and...and Tony?"

Jane's face fell, and for some reason, Grayson regretted mentioning them immediately.  
He briefly recalled the time when Jane and Tony were seeing one another before he moved on business, and he briefly remembered his own fling, the pregnancy scared he'd had with Kim. Guilt swam inside of him, and he lowered his gaze to their interlocked hands.

"I didn't...I couldn't say anything then," Jane fumbled for words. "Fred told me I had to let go. That I'm not Deb anymore, that I should...no, that I _had_ to let you continue to live your life without me. And that I needed to forget about you. Us."

"I can't imagine..." Grayson began, his voice hoarse, "what that must have been like. This entire time, knowing..." He paused, unable to speak, before swallowing thickly. "Why now?"

"I've been planning how this would go over and over in my head," she began, with a small sniff. Her smile was watery, and she met his gaze with an undisguised longing. "I don't know what's going to happen," she whispered, "I shouldn't have told you. But...I couldn't go another day, seeing you hurt like that Grayson. Even if we can't be together, I wanted you to know that I've been here, and that everything...it's okay."

"What do you mean, we can't be together?" Grayson interrupted, unable to hide the panic in his voice. "Deb, I've done nothing but wish you were here this entire time. With Kim, that was nothing. I...I don't know what I was thinking, it was too soon. I shouldn't have. You're the only one I want to spend my life with. And all this time, I've felt you here...looking back on it, I was so _stupid_ not to have realized..."

Jane parted her lips to speak, but was interrupted as their server came with the food. Reluctantly, Grayson let go of her hands, and set his own back in his lap, fingers curling into anxious fists as the food he had been looking forward to earlier, was set infront of them. His appetite was gone, however, and he found himself more transfixed on the miracle that sat across the table from him. He couldn't stop staring as she thanked the waiter for their orders, and gently smoothed a napkin down onto her lap. She did nothing further, however, and simply looked down at her hands, before hesitantly raising her gaze to meet his.

"I don't know what's going to happen now," Jane began quietly, and Grayson could barely hear her over the murmur of other customers. "I wasn't supposed to tell you," she continued, "The only one who knows about everything is Stacy."

"That's why she's been coming to the office so much," Grayson mused aloud. Jane nodded, before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "When the accident happened, I wound up in this place," she began, picking up her fork. She poked at her order, although she seemed uninterested in eating. "Fred said it was the Gates... and they looked over my life." A shaky breath, and then she laughed to herself. "I pressed the return button," she continued, and her smiled widened a little at Grayson's dumbstruck expression. "And I came back," she continued, "but I wasn't...me. Jane was shot that same day," she added, her expression saddening. "she didn't come back. So here I am."

Grayson sat back and exhaled, heavily. Running his fingers through his hair, he lifted his gaze from his steaming pile of chow mein and vegetables, back to Jane. He couldn't ignore the want he felt when looking at her, nor the sense of utter contentment, despite everything he had just learned. He had no idea why it was all so easy to accept; maybe because since the very beginning, a part of him already knew it was her. But people coming back from the dead, in different bodies? Souls, Heaven? He believed in a higher power but never to such an extent as this. The very founddation o his faith had been shaken, and yet, at this precise moment,...he didn't care. She was still here. She had been here all along.

He wasn't going to continue the dinner charade any longer. Suddenly he yearned for her, to be close to her, and throwing his napkin down on the table, he leaned forward and took her hands in his. She seemed startled, but her fingers curled around his just as effortlessly as they used to.

"Let's leave," he began quietly, "come home with me," he added. "There's no need for questions or explanations tonight," he continued, as she opened her mouth to protest, "I believe everything you say, Deb, and I've already lost you once...I can't do it again."

She chewed her lip, and her fingers clung to his tightly, eyes brimming, before spilling over with emotion. Glancing around, she nodded, before offering him a smile that had melted his heart in so many ways before.

"Okay."

(Originally, I was going to make this a one-shot. I had contemplated the idea of making it into a short novel/fanfic, but had decided against it. I don't want to let anyone down though, and since you all seem so eager for more, here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for your reviews! (: )


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